G-Vine Launches 2012 Gin Connoisseur Program

G’Vine Gin has just launched its 2012 Gin Connoisseur Program – a global quest for the world’s best gin bartender. This year’s theme is French Classics, remembering the golden age of French mixology from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The intense program requires an absolute understanding of the gin category,. But beyond that, competitors must be excellent hosts, technically skilled bartenders, creative mixologists and engaging personalities.

Any bartender, anywhere, can enter the Gin Connoisseur Program. It doesn’t matter which gin your bar pours or whether G’Vine Gin is available in your country. Every gin-loving bartender has an equal chance of making it to the World Finals in Cognac, France in June 2012.

Besides that trip to Cognac, additional prizes include:

– An intercontinental bar tour to a couple of the spirits industry’s biggest events: Tales of the Cocktail and Bar Convent Berlin
– A year’s supply of G’Vine Gin for your bar
– Platinum vine flower pin
– $3,000 and recognition as the finest gin bartender on the planet

More details —

All entrants must complete an online exam at www.legcp.fr on or before May 1, 2012.

Bartenders who can attend a preliminary contest hosted in the UK, Scotland, France, Spain, Canada & the USA throughout the spring can qualify for the World Finals in Cognac in June. The preliminaries will begin with a seminar – How the Gin Business Works (e.g. sales figures, calculating margins, etc.) – and the challenges include creative mixology and blind nosing and tasting.

Bartenders who can’t attend a preliminary contest can enter as wild cards by completing the same online exams but making an Xtranormal cartoon video using the theme “French Classics.” (An example.)

World Finalists will be announced May 15, 2012.

Best of luck to all competitors, and for more info or to sign up, visit http://www.legcp.fr/.